😡 Was CR7 spared for business? FIFA storm, plus the Messi case...🥶

Cristiano Ronaldo received only a one-match suspension with Portugal (already served against Armenia) for the elbow he delivered to O'Shea in the match against Ireland.

A decision that will almost certainly allow him to play the first two group stage matches at the 2026 World Cup in the USA.

All of this was made possible thanks to a loophole in Article 27 of the FIFA disciplinary code, which allows for the "total or partial suspension of the execution of a disciplinary measure."

CR7 pardoned for commercial reasons?

The regulation normally used, however, is clear: a player must be suspended for “at least three matches or an appropriate period of time for assault, including elbows, punches, kicks, bites, spitting, or blows to an opponent or a person other than a match official.”

A procedure that—evidently—was not followed for Cristiano Ronaldo: a figure too important to miss the World Cup opener in the USA, according to The Guardian.

The English newspaper also cites FIFA sources: the favorable treatment for CR7 is explained by the fact that it was "only" his first red card with Portugal. A choice described as “an insult to the public's intelligence” by The Guardian, given that CR7 has been sent off as many as 12 times with his respective club teams.

The newspaper also reports that the final decision came a full 12 days after the incident and shortly after the meeting between CR7, Infantino, and Trump at the White House. A coincidence destined to remain such in the official statements, but one that The Guardian strongly highlights.

The same newspaper does not beat around the bush: “FIFA needs 2026 to be a commercial success in a country that will require big names to embrace a sport that is not as popular as others.”

Interest before merit? The Messi controversy at the Club World Cup

FIFA, moreover, was not exempt from criticism even during the summer Club World Cup, in which Inter Miami with Messi participated despite not having won the 2024 MLS Cup: which was won by LA Galaxy. (In the 2025 edition, Inter Miami would then be eliminated in the 1st round).

According to journalist Tom Bogert of ESPN, MLS would have preferred to give the vacant spot to the winner of the MLS Cup.

Instead, the qualified team was announced by Infantino himself at the end of the regular season: an unprecedented choice that fell precisely on Inter Miami. The Times commented on the news as follows: “He needed something to spark the interest of broadcasters”.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

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